Transmission, Clutch shot?? Shift linkage?

[Rusty]

Hey guys i have a question to ask.
I have had my 97 explorer sport for about a year now. I bought it from a 20yr old and it had been pretty beat. This thing has 188000 miles on it and i am not sure of hardly any past history. I couldnt pass it up though...$200!!! anyways! Ever since i got it i have had some trouble shifting. I drove it 8 hours to Massachusetts when i moved and i have been Daily driving it since.
Heres the deal:
97 sport 5spd 4.0 ohv-(i think ohv) anyways... I have a real hard time getting into gear... especially 1sy 2nd and reverse. The shifter shakes in gear and a while back i took the boot off and tried to tighten it up. It helped the shaking in gear (didn;t fix completely but helped). But it is kind of a pain. I have just been praying it doesn't leave me sit on the side of the highway one of these days. ALSO sometimes when i am in a gear that is too high itl slip or jerk a little bit.
Overall i can't complain too much cuz of the price but i am worried... or should i be?
My one friend told me it could be the shifter linkage... he swore that if i replaced the linkage it would take care of everything??
Any info or tips is appreicated... I read something about maybe the MAS sensor could have something to do with this... ?? I dunno.. just a newbie trying to get some help!
Thanks!!
Rusty

 

[kabukie]

not sure but with mine the slave cylinder went bad. check your clutch fluid.

 

[Rusty]

its full... i even tried to drain some and put in some lucas atf to see if it would help... it didn't

 

[Rusty]

anyone else have any info?

 

[Rusty]

anyone else?
What if i drain the manual trans and replace with all lucas stuff? Is it worth buying all lucas or run it till it needs replaced?

 

[Rusty]

what about a repair kit?

Anybody know if the M5R1 repair kit will help out at all...
I do have a shifter that moves a bit... and it could be the stuff is worn out and causing it not to shift right
here is the kit i found on ebay...http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/FORD-RANGER-EXPLORER-M5R1-5SPD-SHIFTER-REPAIR-KIT_W0QQitemZ300169233936QQihZ020QQcategoryZ33733QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
i think ill try it and see if i helps... ill post about it...
anyone already try it or something similar?
I also plan on changing out my fluid if it ever stops raining... i don't know if it has ever been done..
ALSO i thought about maybe bleeding the clutch.. is this possible/hard?
Any thoughts are really appreciated!
Thanks
Rusty

 

[Rusty]

any input?






bueller?

 

[RangerX]

The slaves are the weak link in these 5-speeds. Do a search and you will see.

It's "normal" for the shifter to have alot of slop. Rick put in a Hurst shifter to get rid of his.

Bleeding is free, so it's worth trying.

 

[Rusty]

whats the best method you have found for bleeding.. i read the posts and they seem pretty hard but i may try them!

I just purchased a shifter kit thing off ebay and it is a replacement seal with 2 plastic rings for th base of the shifter my friend did this in an f150 and he said it was day and night difference! ill post about it later!

 

[Cleveburg]

Make sure you replace the shift rail plugs:
http://www.binaryweb.com/fordtech/trannyplug/index.asp

 

[Rusty]

i have a 97... i think its the same tranny but just for sake of asking.. will i have the same problem?

 

[Cleveburg]

As far as I know, the M50D was the only manual trans used on Explorers/Rangers of this vintage. See:
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/ManualTransmission.html

ALL M50Ds have the rail plug problem. Replace the rubber ones with metal- I found the job to be amazingly quick and easy. It's a must-do.

 

[Rusty]

i really appreciate the info,, i will have to do that soon.. i have 189000 on it and i don't feel like doin a tranny or clutch anytime soon! i am trying to stretch the clutch out with everything i can to help it!

Thanks again! where did you order the new plugs from or and about how much?

 

[Cleveburg]

> where did you order the new plugs from or and about how much?

I got them from a local parts store. Had to buy a box of 10, if I recall they were around 50-60 cents apiece. Might have been cheaper, it was several years back and the memory ain't what it used to be. They are available online but at much higher cost:

http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductDetail.aspx?MfrCode=RNB&MfrPartNumber=555108

They were the Dorman brand. Drove them in with an appropriately sized socket on an extension.